"Crumbs and Crumble?" Eva asked at the end of the day, as they made their way outside with their classmates. "I heard they've released their holiday beverages. I could go for a snicker doodle hot chocolate about now."

She pushed open the door and a blast of cold air rushed in to greet them.

Cora fixed her scarf, making a double loop around her neck. "No, not this time." She'd waited for Friday with as much patience as any Thorne Pointer. Her date with Beau was indispensable, no matter how delicious a hot chocolate sounded. "I promise I'll make it up to you," she said, as she ran down the school steps, the end of her scarf flying behind her.

"At least tell me how it goes," Eva called after her. "Don't keep me hanging all weekend."

Cora had laid out her outfit the night before, a gingham miniskirt, black tights, and white turtleneck. She'd pull the outfit together with her black ankle boots. Her mother came in as she was pulling the miniskirt over her bottom, which had grown since the last time she'd worn it. "No more truffled macaroni for me," she said, zipping up the side.

"You look beautiful," said Stella, sitting on her bed. "The better to fool them."

Cora stood in front of the mirror to get a sense of how she looked from the back. The outfit didn't feel right now that she had it on. She had ten minutes before he would show up. She could change. She tugged at the sweater, grimacing.

"You look great. Stop messing with it." Stella reassured.

Cora stopped tugging at the sweater and tugged at the skirt instead. "Is it too short?" she asked. "Is it too tight?"

Hand on her cheek, Stella considered her daughter. "By my standards, yes. But not for you girls nowadays." She would say or do anything in support of Cora ruining Beau.

Cora gathered her hair into a ponytail, thinking she should wear it up to show off her features like her mother always told her she should. If only she could find a hair tie. She rummaged her room for one, while Stella watched.

"I've decided to allow Willow on a group date," said Stella.

"That's great, Mom." She was on her knees, head under the bed.

"But only if you're there."

Forgetting where she was; Cora lifted her head too fast and banged it against the bedframe. She stood, rubbing the sore spot. "What? Why'd you tell her that?"

"Picking my battles," said Stella. "I'd rather her not sneak around behind my back."

She didn't have time to argue with her mom reasons why she couldn't, not when Beau would be there any minute. She opened her jewelry box, still searching for a hair tie.

"Willow would really appreciate it," her mother added.

"I bet she will." Cora swept her hair to the side. She'd decided to wear it down after all. She was dressed and in the hall by the time the bell rang, opening the door on the first ring. "Beau." She greeted him with a smile.

He had a square box tucked under his arm. When he removed it, Cora saw it was a book. "This is for you." He held it up. "It's my favorite. Continuing with our theme from last time, I thought you'd like to read it."

The lightness returned to her heart again. She took it from him. The book was thick with a bent cover and dog-eared pages. It was the most sentimental gift anyone had ever given her, other than her granny's dress. She didn't want to run upstairs to put it in her room, leaving him alone at the door with her family to torment him.

"Mom," she called instead.

Her mother appeared in the living room doorway. "What is it?" she intoned in a sing-song voice.

"Can you put this upstairs for me?"

Stella came to the door to retrieve the book. "You know my rules," she said.

Cora began to pull the door closed. Her mother stopped it with her hand. "Home before ten."

"Okay, Mom. I got it." Mildly annoyed, she retreated farther out onto the porch, more than ready to leave.

"Hello, Ms. Emerson," said Beau.

Without a word, Stella let the door close in his face. Cora shrugged on her mother's behalf, sticking her hands in the pockets of her houndstooth jacket because it was extra blustery out. The dogwood tree's branches trembled, sprinkling the yard with more crumbled pink leaves. She shouldn't have sacrificed warmth for cuteness. She shivered. "Do you want to head to the car?" she asked Beau. He had a petal on his head. She picked it off and blew it from her fingers, making a wish.

Please let tonight go wickedly well.

He'd parked where he had the night they'd gone to the movies, right beside an ash tree, its golden leaves speckling his car.

Inside, Cora, a tiny bit warmer, buckled up. "You know my mother can never find a parking spot here. You must be very lucky, sir."

Beau turned the key in the ignition. "I wouldn't say that I'm lucky. Okay, maybe a little. Considering."

She laughed. "Considering what?"

"Considering that this is the third time we've hung out together."

She would have kissed his cheek then but held back, telling herself that such things were reserved for future dates. It would have been easier if they'd gone to the same school. It wouldn't have felt so formal. It would have felt like she'd known him all along.

"I think you're the sincerest person I've ever met."

Beau even drove with both hands on the steering wheel and slowed down well before the light changed. He chuckled. "I'm on my best behavior."

She did allow herself to swat his arm, a light pat. Nothing serious. "How's Noah? Is he still trying to spot UFOs?"

"Oh, yeah, he is, when he's not in front of the TV shooting them."

"You don't shoot aliens?"

"Not anymore."

He'd said, "Not Anymore," like someone who had no time for their favorite hobbies, no time for fun, or senselessness. It made her miss the younger version of him who might not have minded playing video games with his brother.

"What do you do for fun then?" she asked, the old, tired question boys used to chat up girls, but she wanted to know.

"I take pretty girls bowling," he said and winked.

How many girls had he taken out since they'd started seeing each other? Were they seeing each other? It was too soon to tell. He was not only the frankest boy she'd ever met but the most perplexing. How much did he like her? Cora gripped the edge of her seat, deciding to let him know how much she wanted a fourth and fifth and possibly sixth date.

"It's not every day a cute boy takes me bowling." She winked, playfully mocking the first text he'd sent her. "I would love to shoot aliens with Noah," she said, holding her hands up like a gun, cocked at the windshield. "No offence to your brother, but I have perfect aim."

"We'll see about that tonight." He smiled but seconds passed without him saying anything else. He yawned. "Sorry about that." Either because he'd forgotten to cover his mouth or maybe it was an apology for being so quiet. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"It's okay," she said. Minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of the bowling alley, which was quite empty. Bowling wasn't exactly the hottest thing to do on a Friday night in Thorne Point. Cora got out of the car, slamming the door behind her. She shook out her legs. "Are you any good?" she asked him as they made their way to the front door.

"I don't know. Haven't been in a while." He held the door open for her. Inside, they were met with the squeak of shoes against the polished floors, bowling balls hitting pins, and the sound of cheers from one group at the far end, a large family of seven she guessed. She and Beau were the only ones there who weren't related.

It was family night. The music was old, clean, and vibrant. Cora and Beau paid for their shoes and chose an aisle in the middle. "You want to go first?" She pushed her feet into the blue and white shoes. They were too wide, so she tied the laces extra tight.

Beau typed their names into the computer. Cora liked how their names fit together. Cora and Beau like Bonnie and Clyde. Partners in crime.

Maybe I'll skip the misery part tonight.

But even if she wanted to, she couldn't allow herself. There were two months left before her birthday, two months to cause some misery and woe.

Beau grabbed a ball, grinned at her over his shoulder, and set it down the lane. It turned out he wasn't great, he was phenomenal, getting all strikes each time he played. By his seventh turn, Cora decided she'd had enough of losing. As his ball rolled towards the pins, she snapped her fingers so that the pins shifted and instead of getting a strike he hit only one.

"I swore I had that," he said, striding over to her. He plopped down in the seat beside her, relaxed, hands folded behind his head, as if nothing could get to him.

"A pin must have gotten tired of you knocking it down and jumped out of the way." She took a sip of the sodas he'd bought them. His knee touched hers, but she didn't have the sensation you'd get when someone had invaded your personal space.

She didn't move, prickling all over from the magic bubbling inside her and something more. A lot like fondness.

He sighed. The grin hadn't left his face. It had grown. "What's so funny?" she asked. She set her drink down on the table and hoped he wouldn't move his leg.

"Being here with you reminded me of my..." His grin slipped. "My parents," he said finally. "We used to do things like this all the time when I was younger."

"Glad I could help you remember." It was obvious there was more to it than that, but if he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't push him. After all, she had her secrets too.

He bent over to tighten his laces. "Do you want to have a go? It might give you a chance to catch up. I've been whooping your butt."

"That's only because I like watching you win." She got up, grabbed a pink ball, and eyed the pins for a long time. When she turned to Beau, he tapped his watch. "Tonight would be nice."

She stuck out her tongue at him. As she let the ball go, she encouraged it. "Go left. Go left. Go left." Fingers crossed; she gritted her teeth. It would have been easier to use magic, but she'd decided to play fair. Her ball went into the gutter despite her egging it on. "For the love of crows." She raised her arms in frustration.

"For the love of crows?" Beau laughed deeply. "Why do you say that?"

She didn't have an answer for him. It was what she always said when luck wasn't on her side. Maybe she'd heard it somewhere once a long time ago.

"Wow," he said. "You're really bad at this." He stood, all long limbed. He brought Cora another ball. "Hold it," he said. She held it. "Now, before you let it go make sure you know where you want it to land," he said, his hand on her elbow.

Cora thought of fire, blazing and devouring everything in its path. The ball in her hand grew hot. She shook the thought away and thought of stars instead, blooming underneath her skin. A hundred stars. Could he feel it too? He must have.

"I know where I want it to go," she said.

"Do you?" he said, his breath on her neck.

He guided her arm, and when she let the ball go it hit every single pin. "It's that simple," Beau said, dropping his hand.

Cora studied the lane as the pins were replaced. "I'll remember that for next time." She spun around to him. If they were the same height, her lips would have met his. Instead, she kissed his sweater. It was more like her nose bumped into his chest.

He took a step back.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that." She cupped her nose.

"It's okay." His hand fell on his stomach. They'd taken of their coats when they'd started to bowl. He wore a plain navy sweater, the sleeves pushed up, revealing slender arms. He was lean all over, but it didn't bother her much.

"I'm starving," he said. "Want to grab something?" He pointed behind him. "The menu here isn't too bad."

"What do they have?" She had a craving for French fries.

They ended up with two hot dogs, loaded with ketchup, mustard, and relish. Cora made a huge glob of ketchup fall onto his sweater when he wasn't watching. He cursed as he cleaned the stain and she giggled into her soda. After, they bowled some more to work off their meals. Every time it was his turn; she snapped her fingers so that he missed the pins entirely. While he scratched his head in confusion, she hid her giggles in her hand.

Once, when he'd gone to toss the ball, she made the floor slippery, so he fell hard on his back. She had to admit, she'd gone too far with that one.

"I guess I missed my footing," he said, scratching his head. He hadn't been hurt in the fall, but he'd lost interest in the game. She bowled while he watched and tried to cheer him up by doing a little dance every time she hit a pin, unleashing some of her splendor, her magic, not enough to draw any attention but enough to get him smiling.

"You bowl as bad as you dance," he said.

She sauntered over to him and sat. "Do you want to have another go or are you going to sit there and talk smack all night."

"Hey, that fall did actually hurt," he said, as he yawned and stretched.

"We can play some games." She jerked her head towards the front where the claw crane was. "I could use a new teddy bear, but only if you're up for it."

Her breathing slowed, letting out in a sigh, when he took her hand. Trailing his fingers across her palm. "How about two teddy bears?"

"I will only settle for one hundred."

"A thousand," He pulled her to her feet.

It took him several tries because of Cora's magic and because claw cranes weren't designed for winning anything, but he won her a fluffy, black baby bat she named Plum. It was the best date she'd been on yet.

She didn't want to go home, but their night out ended early when he yawned again. "I'd stay longer, but I have to go get some sleep," he said. "I'm beat. I hope that's okay."

It wasn't okay, but she didn't want to keep him if he had to go. "No, it's fine." She clutched Plum to her chest. "By the way, my mom wants me to supervise my little sister's group date." They made their way out of the bowling alley into the cold. The city lights obscured all the stars, but the moon was waxing crescent.

"Does that mean you want me to tag along with you guys?"

"If you want." It would be better than her hanging by herself with a bunch of seventh graders. "Maybe you could bring your brother," she said, hugging Plum tighter against the cold while he dug for his keys in his pocket.

"Dammit," he said. "I think my keys must have fallen. Will you wait here?"

She nodded and he ran into the building. Cora leaned against the car, pressing her nose into Plum. Would it be weird if she asked Beau what cologne he wore so she could spray Plum with it? She decided it would be.

He returned to the car a minute later, keys dangling from his fingers. "Got them."

"Have you ever been ice skating?" she asked when they were on the road, taking the familiar route back to Hemlock Avenue.

"I haven't," he said. "Is that where you're taking your sister?"

"It's really up to her," she said. "But it would be nice." At least, when he fell, she wouldn't be behind it. They could go out for hot chocolate after. As they drove, Cora planned the whole date in her head, down to the misery she'd cause.

Soon, he'd pulled up in front of her house. Next door, at Mrs. Campbell's, a light winked out. Even though he'd said he needed sleep, he walked her up to her front door. Unlike last time, no one peeked out of the window. They were alone. Was the third date the one where you kissed? She didn't think so, but what if he wanted to? Should she let him?

When he leaned in, arms outstretched, her mind said, "thank God," but her heart said, "for the love of crows."

He did kiss her cheek, a touch so gentle she held her hand there as if to keep the moment forever. "I'll see you soon," he said and tugged a strand of her hair. It too was gentle. "Take care of Plum for us."

"I will," she said, wondering if she should touch him, and she allowed herself to, trailing a finger along his cheekbone. He had lovely cheekbones, the kind that were high and stood out enough to accentuate his eyes. He smiled at her touch. She couldn't take it back. It was a touch that said it all.

"Next time," he said, stepping away backwards until he reached the steps.

"Ice skating," she said, and watched him saunter next door, her cheek resting on Plum, her mind jumping forward in time to the moment they did kiss. She'd never asked her mother who'd been the one for her. Had it been her father?

Now she needed to know if only because of Beau.

That same night, after Cora had announced she was going to bed, she texted Eva about how her date had gone with Beau. Eva responded with way too many exclamation marks and blushing emojis.

He kissed me.

Where?

On the cheek and he won me a stuffed bat. Named her Plum.

She took a photo of her and sent it to Eva.

Eva texted: He's definitely a keeper.

After a few more texts about Beau containing even more exclamations, and Eva telling Cora she did love the book she'd bought her, they decided to meet up on Saturday at the local library. Firstly, to talk more about Beau and who Eva was going to prom with, and then to discuss their history project.

That night, she fell asleep with Beau's book clutched to her chest, on a page where he'd highlighted most of the passage in yellow.

Hello friends! I just wanted to pop-in to say that I hope you're enjoying the story so far. 

Oh the awkwardness of first dates, or third if you count Cora joining Beau and his brother to the movies, and her visiting him at the mall, because Cora certainly is. Personally, I think Beau is holding back a little. *wink wink*

Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments. Your support is greatly appreciated. <3